Sleeping-car



T. E. MCNEILL.

Car Seat and Couch.

Patented Feb. 1, 1859.

' inventor:

'II-IOS. E. MCNEILL OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SLEEPING- CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,815, dated February 1, 1859.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. MCNEJLL, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Extension-Seat for Sleeping- Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in swing seats for railway cars; and my improvement consists in a peculiar construe tion, described hereafter, of the back and seat of this class of car seats, whereby they may be readily converted into couches for sleeping purposes.

In order to enable others to malte and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and the manner of carrying it into effect.

On reference to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specifica-tion; Figure l, is a front view of my improved extension couch for railroad cars. Fig. 2, the same, illustrating the seat as it appears when being extended. Fig. 3, a front view of the couch, extended to its full length and the back elevated for sleeping purposes. Fig. 4, an end view of Fig. 1. Fig. 5, an end view of Fig. 3. Fig. 6, a sectional view of a modified plan of extension couch. Fig. 7, a plan, (drawn to a reduced scale) of a railway car with my improved couches, arranged for use during the day. Fig. 8, the same, with my improved couches arranged for sleeping purposes. Fig. 9, a transverse section of Fig. 8.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the whole of the above views, A represents a part of the floor and B part of the sides of a railway car.

C is the seat of my improved couch, D and D the opposite ends, E the back and F and F the legs, furnished with ordinary casters.

The seat C is constructed `as follows;- two longitudinal strips a, one at the front and the other at the back, and both firmly secured to the end D, are grooved on the inside, for thereception of the strips b, which are attached to the opposite end D ofthe couch. Between the strips a is secured a portion Gr of the seat, and, between the strips b, another4 portion G. To the latter is hinged the leaf H, and to the former the leaf H, the opposite ends of the leaves being hinged together, as seen in Fig. 2.

By the above peculiar construction of the seat, one portion can be moved outward from the other portion, the strips b sliding into the strips a, and thus serving to guide the two portions of the seat and to maintain them in their proper lateral and vertical position. When the seat is extended, the leaves H and Hl fall down and form a Continuous level couch for sleeping purposes. Vhen the two `portions of the seat are being slid together, the leaves assume the position illustrated in Fig. 2; and, when brought close together, the leaves form the separation between the two seats of the couch, as seen in Fig. l. Should a division of the couch into two seats be deemed inconvenient, the leaves H and H may be made to fall, as seen in the modified view, Fig. 6, w ere they form an intermediate support for the body of the seat.

It should be observed, that the `portions G and Gr', as well as the leaves H and H of the seat, are lined and padded, so that, whether the seat is extended for reclining, as in Fig. 3, or drawn together for day use, as seen in Fig. l, a comfortable yielding surface is presented, without the necessity of adding extra cushions.

The back F of the couch is constructed in a manner somewhat similar `to the seat, one portion e being arranged to slide Vinto and be guided by the other portion, as seen in Fig. 3. The portion e is a simple frame, with strips on the side for receiving the edge of the portion e, which consists of a plain platform or board, well padded or cushioned on one side. The portion e of the back is connected to the cross bar z. of the endl D of the couch by the rods f, and the portion eof the back to the cross bar h of the opposite end D of the couch by the rod f.

Each of the opposite ends D and D of the couch consists of a frame,`into which fits the extension board K, the latter being capable of moving `freely up and down withf in the frame, but having no other motion independent of the latter. The extension board has, at its lower end, a bar z', which, when the board is down, as seen in Fig. 4, rests on the bottom of the frame, but when elevatedVas seen in Fig. 5, rests on the end of the spring m, which is secured to the lower end of the frame. The upper edge of each extensionboard is furnished with two pins n, which serve to maintain the back of the couch in its proper position, when it has been elevated for sleeping purposes.

The couch is hinged at one corner lto the side of the car, by means of any suitable joint t.

When arranged for day use, the couch appears as represented in Figs. 1 and 4, or in the modified view, Fig. 6, the lower edge of the back E resting on the back strip a of the seat, and maintained in an angular position by the connecting rod f, the padded surface being presented to the backs of the passengers, and the padded folding leaves H and H forming a comfortable separat-ion between the two seats of each couch, or, when such a separation is deemed inconvenient, arranged to form an additional intermediate support to the seat, as in Fig. 6. When in this position, the couch is, in all essential respects, similar to, and equally as comfortable as the ordinary permanent railroad car seats.

l/Vhen required for reclining purposes during the night, the seat C and back E of the couch are extended, their peculiar construction, above described, allowing this to be accomplished with the greatest facility. The connecting rods f and 7 are then raised and with them the back E, which is turned over, so that its padded surface, which previously served as a comfortable rest for the backs of the passengers, may form an equally comfortable cushion, when a reclining position is assumed. The extension boards K are then raised until their bars z' rest on the end of the springs m, and thus serve as a suppo-rt for the ends of the back E, the lpins a retaining the back in its proper longitudinal position. The couch has now assumed the form shown in Fig. 3, and is ready for use, the extended back E as a reclining couch for one passenger, and the extended seat C as the same for another passenger.

It will be observed, that, in extending the back of the couch for reclining purposes, a portion of it must be necessarily exposed and unpadded. This deficiency is supplied by a padded board, which during the day may be placed out of the way, in any convenientrecess under the seat, ready to be removed at night, and deposited in the exposed portion of the extended back, thus forming a padded continuation of the latter.

In order tol carry out the above described changes of the couches, however, it is necessary that they should be arranged as follows: For day use, the couches in the car are disposed of in the manner illustrated in Fig. 7, which is similar to the ordinary arrangement of the common permanent seats, with the exception that at one end the two seats s, s, are hinged to the side of the car, so as to be let down out of the way, when the change is made for the night.

The first couch l swivels on the hinge` t on the side of the car at the corner the next seat 2 at its corner y on a hinge on the bottom of the car, the third seat 3 at its corner w, and so on throughout the whole row, the opposite row being arranged to swivel at corresponding points in the opposite side of the car, so that, when the cars are changed from day to night use, the couch 1 is turned back against the side of the car, as seen in Fig. 8, and t-he same with every alternate couch on both sides, the couch taking its place adjacent to the couch l2 in the middle of the car. Thus the whole of the couches are disposed of longitudinally, forming four distinct rows with two passages.

A curtain g, Fig. 9, may be unfolded from the roof, and used for the purpose of dividing the car into two sleeping apart, ments, one for ladies and the other for gentlement.

A system of latches, bolts or other suitable devices may be used for retaining the couches, when used for either sitting or reclining purposes.

It will now be seen without further description, that my improved extension couches afford a simple and ready means of converting a railroad car into a comfortable sleeping apartment.

l do not claim broadly so altering the seats of railroad cars, that they may be arranged as longitudinal sleeping couches in four rows with twopassages, but- I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. Constructing the seat C of the swing seat of a railway car with guiding strips a and Z) or their equivalents, and padded leaves H and H hinged together and to the seat, so that the latter may be extended and form a comfortable couch for sleeping purposes.

2. rlhe frame e, arranged to receive the padded board e, when the frame is hung to one end D of the couch and the board to the opposite end by rods f, and when the whole is' combined with the swing seat'of a railway car, so as to form a rest for the back during the day and a sleeping couch for the night, as herein set forth.

1n testimony whereof 1 have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

` THOS. E. MCNEILL.

Vitnesses HENRY HowsoN, CHARLES D. FREEMAN. 

